Crystal Deodorant

The first time I saw a crystal deodorant in a store it looked very strange to me. I was suspicious if this piece of stone will work at all. If you don’t know much about it you might feel like me back then, so let me share what I know.

What is crystal deodorant and how does it work?

The crystal deodorant is basically a smooth piece of crystal, which contains Ammonium alum, natural mineral salts. It is a hypoallergenic deodorant, paraben free and contains no aluminium or fragrance.

We humans sweat in order to regulate our body temperature. It is a normal physiological process. Our sweat contains mostly water but also small amounts of minerals, lactate, urea and trace elements. Mainly what makes sweat smell unpleasant is the impact of the natural microorganisms that live on our skin. These little bacterias produce enzymes that combined with the lipids from the sweat creates acids, which smell.

The natural salts in the crystal deodorant have antibacterial effect. By adding a thin layer of mineral salts on the skin the bacterial growth is prevented and thus, the odor.

Why use it?

The normal drugstore deodorants contain a lot of suspicious chemicals. Almost any antiperspirant contains aluminum chlorohydrate. There is no definitive research proving this particular aluminium compound is harmful or harmless. However, aluminium chloride is proven to be a neurotixin and high doses of aluminium itself can cause DNA damage .

The link between antiperspirant deodorant and breast cancer is being researched, but so far no conclusive reports have been made. It is suggested, that the parabens, such as alumiinium chloride, used in antiperspirants get into the blood stream (for example, if you spray yourself after shaving). Then they accumulate in breast tissue causing estrogen-like effects, which stimulate the growth of cancer cells.

The Crystal deodorant, on the other hand, is not an antiperspirant. It does not fight the sweating process, because after all sweating is healthy. What the natural deodorant does is it stops the unpleasant smell by using the effects of the mineral salts.

How to use it?

To use crystal deodorant simply make it wet and rub on the clean skin under your arms. It doesn’t feel as if something is transferred to your skin at all, but in fact the salts from the crystal create a thin film on your underarms which will keep you fresh the whole day. It really does decrease body odor.

After using the deodorant, quickly rinse the stick and pat dry.

Note that if you do not like to fuss with wetting the stick before each use, there is also a spray version of the crystal deodorant.

Pros and Cons

The Crystal deodorant is natural and healthy to use. It is extremely cheap, one crystal can be used for up to a year, and it costs just about $3. It does not feel sticky, does not leave marks on the clothes. It really does work. It is fragrance free which is good if you want to add your favourite perfume with it.
It is not as easy to use as a spray deo (but it does have a spray version too). The crystal deodorant has to be used on clean skin, so if you want to use a deodorant for extreme sweating after hiking in the mountains, this is not the one. However, if you use it every morning after shower it will keep you fresh for the whole day. It does not have fragrance and I consider this can be a minus too. If you are just-spray-and-go person and you are used to products with fragrance, you might find this inconvenient. However, there are spray versions of the crystal deodorant that have added fragrance too, so you can look out for this instead.

Overall, the crystal deodorant is a very good alternative to chemically infused deodorants. It is all natural, cheap and healthy solution for everyday use. If you want to give it a try you can buy it online here or here.

So, do you consider trying the crystal deo, or have you already? What do you think about it?